17 weeks

This past week wasn't our greatest.....Dean counted up the hours he worked and it was something like 78....I can't remember exactly. Thankfully that hasn't happened much in the past year, but he has another busy week coming up in late May. Yuck! Those days when I'm by myself with the boys from sunrise through bedtime are so hard. I can't imagine being a single mom....

I am 17 weeks today! I cannot believe this....already almost halfway done? It still feels like I should be 9 weeks along. I'm feeling fine now....nothing to complain about except maybe being a little extra tired (but I think I'd feel that way anyway). According to Baby Center, the baby is about 5 inches long from head to rump (the size of a turnip, if only I could remember what a turnip looked like!). A few things about my pregnancy at this point:

Movement: Not much! I swear I first felt it move around 12 weeks, and definitely by 14 weeks. But I don't feel it very often.....just a little twitch here and there (and only when I'm sitting or laying still). This made me a little worried going into my checkup last Monday, but my doctor found the heartbeat and everything seems to be fine. He said that if the placenta is sitting in the front, it can be hard to feel a lot of movement. I think both of the boys were much more active at this point, so I'm hoping it just means this will be a calmer, easier child!

Belly: Yes!! Dean took my first belly picture yesterday. I think it popped out earlier this time than with the boys. Two weeks ago,when I was at 14.5 weeks, two ladies from church (at different times) gave me that funny look.....like they wanted to ask, but they didn't know if they should. Since then, random people will ask me when I'm due or other questions, so I guess it's fairly obvious now (at least when I'm wearing a form-fitting shirt. It's not nearly as obvious if I'm wearing a button-down or something like that).

Maternity clothes: I still haven't had to wear any maternity shirts (I love that shirts are made so long these days....not only because I'm tall and I don't have to pull them down in the back every time I bend forward, but also because they are perfect for early pregnancy!). But I haven't worn a normal pair of shorts/pants in weeks. At least I can wear the same maternity clothes again....I've been pregnant with all three in the summer!

Cravings/aversions: The only aversion I still have (and pretty much the only one I ever had) is coffee. It just ever doesn't sound too good to me (of course white chocolate mocha from Starbucks always sounds good, but at over $4 a cup it's a once-every-four-months treat!). If I'm especially tired and make myself a cup at home (which is at least a few times per week), it usually tastes okay. As a side note, the boys love helping me make coffee in my new Keurig coffee maker (a gift from Mom and Dad Sloan last fall). They think it's so fun to put the canisters into the machine and they always fight over who gets to push the buttons!

Like my pregnancy with Drew, I crave salads. And sweets!

The boys' reactions: Of course Drew has no idea. Grant does....and it's fun this time around, telling him about the baby and hearing how he talks about it. He knows not to jump on my belly because he doesn't want to hurt the baby. He'll mention to people that his mommy is going to have a baby. Sometimes he says it's a sister, other times a brother. Once when he said he was having a little brother, I asked what we should name him. He said, "Sister!" And when I showed him an ultrasound picture of the baby, he said, "he has a pirate hat on!" Is it obvious what his current obsession is??